Super Bowl ad touts dead city, bailed out car company

Seems that rapper Eminem's commercial touting the resurgence of Chrysler and Detroit during last night's Super Bowl was a hit with viewers, or so say data-crunchers at NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Co.

For those who didn't catch Eminem's computer-generated self strutting through the 2-minute spot, the commercial is worth watching for its sheer audacity. The spot is Leni Riefenstahl next generation propaganda for a car manufacturer - Chrysler - that's around only thanks to a multibillion dollar taxpayer bailout from an indebted Uncle Sam. And a tribute to a city - Detroit - that has been to "hell and back."

Anyone barely familiar with Detroit's plight understands that the city has gone to hell. The "back" part merits more than suspicion.

Detroit is one of the nation's premiere failed cities. Neighborhoods, factories, and businesses are abandoned. Crime is rampant. Politicians are corrupt. Detroit public schools aren't in crisis; they're in collapse. Too many poor blacks and other minorities are trapped in generational welfare dependency, thanks to political elites who benefit from fostering dependency.

Rather than a phoenix rising from the ashes, Detroit is all ashes. Good luck in finding a dodo bird much less a phoenix in the heap that's Detroit.

Chrysler should be forced to estimate and disclose how much taxpayer money went into its pricey Super Bowl commercial. If taxpayers are footing the bill for Chrysler's slick propaganda - and directly or indirectly, they are - then taxpayers have a right to know. Update: A reader writes:

It's an interesting case of propaganda versus reality TV. Last month I purchased a new Dodge Challenger R/T and am very pleased with it, so I was interested in NatGeo's program last week on the factories which produce the car. The show puts up a map of North America and lo and behold, the engines are produced in Mexico and the cars are assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Detroit, or any other American city is nowhere to be found. So, for the reasons given in the blog, plus throw in the industry-killer unions, and we have one of the iconic American pony cars being produced in other countries.

Seems that rapper Eminem's commercial touting the resurgence of Chrysler and Detroit during last night's Super Bowl was a hit with viewers, or so say data-crunchers at NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Co.

For those who didn't catch Eminem's computer-generated self strutting through the 2-minute spot, the commercial is worth watching for its sheer audacity. The spot is Leni Riefenstahl next generation propaganda for a car manufacturer - Chrysler - that's around only thanks to a multibillion dollar taxpayer bailout from an indebted Uncle Sam. And a tribute to a city - Detroit - that has been to "hell and back."

Anyone barely familiar with Detroit's plight understands that the city has gone to hell. The "back" part merits more than suspicion.

Detroit is one of the nation's premiere failed cities. Neighborhoods, factories, and businesses are abandoned. Crime is rampant. Politicians are corrupt. Detroit public schools aren't in crisis; they're in collapse. Too many poor blacks and other minorities are trapped in generational welfare dependency, thanks to political elites who benefit from fostering dependency.

Rather than a phoenix rising from the ashes, Detroit is all ashes. Good luck in finding a dodo bird much less a phoenix in the heap that's Detroit.

Chrysler should be forced to estimate and disclose how much taxpayer money went into its pricey Super Bowl commercial. If taxpayers are footing the bill for Chrysler's slick propaganda - and directly or indirectly, they are - then taxpayers have a right to know. Update: A reader writes:

It's an interesting case of propaganda versus reality TV. Last month I purchased a new Dodge Challenger R/T and am very pleased with it, so I was interested in NatGeo's program last week on the factories which produce the car. The show puts up a map of North America and lo and behold, the engines are produced in Mexico and the cars are assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Detroit, or any other American city is nowhere to be found. So, for the reasons given in the blog, plus throw in the industry-killer unions, and we have one of the iconic American pony cars being produced in other countries.